’Tis the season for breathing—and, in many parts of the world, wondering if the air you’re inhaling is going to cause problems.
With my family approaching our one-year anniversary of living in California, wildfires and air quality are all-too-real elements of our day-to-day life. But the reality is that air quality travels—and even if you don’t live somewhere that’s dry and prone to that type of activity, the quality of the air around you can vary wildly based on what’s happening both near and surprisingly far. It also fluctuates based on factors that have nothing to do with fires, like pollen and other common allergen levels.
Living here has been a real wake-up call for me about the realities of air quality—and that’s led me to do a whole bunch o’ searching, testing, and experimenting to find the best tools for tracking air quality and knowing when there’s cause for concern.
The tools I want to share with you today are the result of that experience. And regardless of where you live, they’re well worth your while to keep around and lean on so that you’re aware of the air around you.
This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of useful tech treasures!
Your air quality eye in the sky
First things first: Most weather apps and services have some manner of air quality indication as a part of their forecasts.
But the apps I’m gonna share with you here are specifically and entirely about air quality, as their primary purpose and measure—and they go above and beyond what most other sources can offer in their detail, their features, and the reliability of the info they provide.
They’re free, too, and they’ll take you all of 20 seconds to get going.
➜ I rely on a combination of two apps that are perfectly complementary and serve their own specific purposes:
1⃣ First, for those of us in the States, the official Environmental Protection Agency AirNow app is a solid starting point for official government-measured air quality data.
You can install it on Android or iOS and also access the same info on the web on any device.
AirNow is where I look to see broad quality reports for our area as well as historical and future forecasting info. It’s great for that big picture kind of info about anywhere you live and how much you need to adjust your outdoor exposure based on conditions.
For folks outside of the U.S., many other countries offer similar equivalents:
- The European Air Quality Index is the same basic idea as the EPA app, only for cities in that part of the world. It’s available on the web as well as in app form for both Android and iOS.
- Canada has its WeatherCAN app—for Android and iOS—that offers general forecast info along with air quality alerts.
- And Australia has AirRater—also for Android and iOS—that’s filled with all sorts of useful tools for tracking air quality.
2⃣ The second app and the one I’ve really come to appreciate and rely on is AirVisual by IQAir.
You can access all of its info on the web, but its mobile apps (for both Android and iOS) are where it shines the brightest.
AirVisual combines official government measurements with hyperlocal sensors set up by regular ol’ folks all around the world to create its own superspecific air quality score for your exact area—often zeroing right down into your neighborhood for a much more meaningful assessment than what the broad view alone can tell you.
It leans on a sprawling global network of simple outdoor sensors that people purchase and set up to monitor the air quality and report back constant readings—which AirVisual uses as a part of its formula for calculating your air quality. (You can even opt to purchase your own sensor if you want to go all out and have a reading right outside your home, but there are enough other sensors out and about in the world that it’s not typically necessary to get a meaningful measure.)
The AirVisual app has a nice widget that makes it extra easy to check in on current quality near you, and it can be set up to show you both once-daily alerts and customizable alerts when quality levels drop below a certain concerning level.
Along with AirNow or your regional equivalent, it makes for a powerful one-two punch of air quality awareness—one that can keep you informed at whatever level you like and let you breathe easy knowing you’ll always be aware of the air around you.
- AirNow is available and in native app form for both Android and iOS. AirVisual also exists on the web and as an app for both Android and iOS.
- They’re completely free to use. AirVisual offers the option to purchase your own personal sensor if (and only if!) you want.
- AirNow doesn’t require any unusual permissions or any accounts, and the app says it doesn’t collect or share any sort of personal data. AirVisual requires an account only if you want to add in your own sensor or use customized alerts, and it also says it doesn’t collect or share any sort of user info.
Treat yourself to all sorts of practical treasures like this with the free Cool Tools newsletter—starting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app that’ll tune up your days in truly delightful ways.